Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

Joseph Modupe Johnson CFR, (30 March 1912 – 15 June 1987), was a Nigerian politician and Federal Cabinet Minister.

Life

He was born in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, and was educated at the William Wilberforce Academy. After a brief stint in the

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the largest component of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The President of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Army, and its professional head is the Chie ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he returned to civil life after the war's end and was a bank clerk, and a radio broadcaster for a few years. From 1948, he tried his hands in business and politics, was elected into the

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...

District Council the same year, and later became the first and only ever non-indigene to serve as the Chairman of the council. In 1956 he became a Nigerian federal cabinet minister and served in internal affairs, later in labour and social welfare and sports, acting twice as Prime Minister in the coalition Government. In these capacities, he distinguished himself by resigning as President of the Nigerian branch of the

ILO The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is one of the firs ...

, protesting the admission of South Africa as member. He built the first and largest National Sports Stadium in Lagos, attended the victorious battle of Nigeria's Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Boxing champion of the world,

Dick Tiger Richard Ihetu (August 14, 1929 – December 14, 1971), professionally known as Dick Tiger was a Nigerian professional boxer who held the undisputed middleweight and light-heavyweight championships. Tiger emigrated to Liverpool, England ...

Gene Fullmer Lawrence Gene Fullmer (July 21, 1931 – April 27, 2015) was an American professional boxer and World Middleweight champion. He was known as The Utah Cyclone, The Mormon Mauler, and as "Cyclone" Gene Fullmer. Professional career Fullmer began h ...

in California, and in collaboration with London-based world-renowned boxing promoter,

Jack Solomons Israel Jacob "Jack" Solomons (10 December 1900 – 9 December 1979) was a British boxing promoter who has been called "one of the greatest boxing promoters in history" and "England's greatest boxing impresario". Solomons was born in Petticoat L ...

, staged the very first world boxing title fight in Africa, in Ibadan, Western Nigeria, between Tiger and Fullmer, in 1963, well before the much publicized

Rumble in the Jungle George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as ''The Rumble in the Jungle'', was a heavyweight championship boxing match on October 30, 1974, at the 20th of May Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), between undefeated ...

fight between

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

and

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025) was an American professional boxer, businessman, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997, and was nicknamed "Big George". He was a two-time world heavyweig ...

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

, in 1974. In 1963 he retired from politics by declining to contest the General Elections. This was, as he put it, to make way for the young, which endeared him to many Nigerians. Born into Lagosian and Brazilian families in Lafiaji, Lagos, he was described as tall, handsome, flamboyant, gregarious and renowned as a ladies man. He is said to have sired several children from mothers of diverse backgrounds and ethnicities. His second son, Abiola, followed in his footsteps, became a politician and was a Regional Minister in Lagos.

References

Sources

Ronald Segal Ronald Michael Segal (14 July 1932 – 23 February 2008) was a South African activist, writer and editor, founder of the anti-apartheid magazine '' Africa South'' and the Penguin African Library. Life Ronald Segal was born on 14 July 1932, int ...

, et al. ''Political Africa: A Who's Who of Personalities and Parties''. Praeger (1961)
Nigeria's book of firsts: a handbook on pioneer Nigerian citizens (p. 191)West Africa, Issues 3638-3650 (p. 1365)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, J. M. 1912 births 1987 deaths Yoruba politicians Politicians from Lagos Federal ministers of Nigeria 20th-century Nigerian politicians Nigerian people of World War II People from colonial Nigeria Yoruba military personnel